DART News Release
Media Relations Contact: June 12, 2000 DART Board Schedules August 12 Election on Long-Term Financing The DART Board of Directors today scheduled an August 12 election to allow voters to decide whether the agency should use long-term financing to upgrade and accelerate future light rail lines to Carrollton, Farmers Branch, North Irving, South Dallas, Fair Park, Pleasant Grove and Rowlett. To meet the demand for more rail service faster, the agency is proposing a long-term financing strategy of issuing notes or bonds repayable in up to 30 years. Long-term financing would not raise the one-cent sales tax beyond its current level. However, it would provide DART with the cash flow it needs to enter into construction contracts earlier than planned and complete future projects an average of 4-5 years ahead of the current schedules. (See attached chart) In addition to accelerating future rail lines to Carrollton, Farmers Branch, North Irving, South Dallas, Fair Park, Pleasant Grove and Rowlett, DART hopes to extend rail to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport eight years sooner -- in 2010, rather than 2018. Long-term financing also would be used to continue improving bus services and to speed the construction of 110 miles of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. Current DART Rail Construction On Schedule Now the largest light rail expansion project in North America, DART currently is building nearly 24 miles of extensions to its four-year-old, 20-mile light rail starter system in Dallas. The 12.5-mile extension of the North Central rail line runs north from Park Lane, arriving in Richardson in summer 2002 and in Plano in summer 2003. Following existing rail right-of-way on the east side of U.S. 75, the line includes a new aerial station replacing the temporary station at Park Lane & Greenville Ave., plus eight more stations in Dallas at Walnut Hill Lane, Forest Lane and LBJ Freeway; in Richardson at Spring Valley Road, at Arapaho Road and at Galatyn Park; and in Plano at 15th Street downtown and at the East Plano Transfer Center, Archerwood St. between Park Blvd. E. and Parker Road. Construction also continues on a separate, 11.2-mile rail extension stretching northeast from Mockingbird Station at Mockingbird Lane & North Central to White Rock Lake in fall 2001 and to Garland in fall 2002. The line includes four new stations, at White Rock Lake, East Northwest Highway near West Lawther Drive; at Skillman Road & LBJ Freeway; at Forest Lane & Jupiter Road; and in downtown Garland adjacent to the Garland Central Transit Center, Walnut St. at Fifth St. Election Order Document (PDF File 1.05MB) DART Capital Project Map DART Transit System Plan Upgrades
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